Most teams are around 20 games into the 2024-25 NBA regular season, meaning it’s high time we put out our first rookie ladder of the season. Much was made about

The “Knecht” mania from last week morphed into a more sober stretch with the Lakers’ little skid and his recent 42.9% shooting. Lakers coach J.J. Redick was asked about his defense, and TheRinger.com ran a lengthy piece questioning his ceiling as a 23-year-old newbie and justifying his slide to No. 17 in the Draft. Welcome to the NBA, rook.

Nearly a month into the NBA season, rookies are finding their footing, led by Jared McCain and Donovan Clingan. Who else is thriving?

Those performances in conjunction with injuries plaguing the Sixers’ stars has taken McCain from a rookie fighting for a rotation spot to a solid, dependable starter for Philadelphia. McCain has been on an absolute tear as of late,

McCain’s big jump in the Ladder came from big contributions. His production over the past week — 27.7 ppg, 50.8 FG%, 19.7 shots nightly, 10.7 of them from the arc — is right in line with Maxey’s work in his seven games before his injury. Additionally, his 27.3% usage rate ranks higher than Devin Booker’s and LeBron James’.

Philadelphia 76ers rookie Jared McCain recently gave a “shout out to my Asian community” and shared that he is "probably like 10% Filipino," marking his first public acknowledgment of his Asian roots.